RFU back to amateur era as it looks to hire Sir Clive Woodward

The authority of the RFU's chief executive, John Steele, has been seriously undermined. Photograph: Martin Godwin for the Guardian

Short of asking Sir Alan Sugar to apply for the role of performance director, the Rugby Football Union could scarcely be more of a laughing stock. It is not easy to make the most sought-after job in English rugby seem as attractive as a carrier bag of toxic waste but, increasingly, that is what it feels like. You would not blame Sir Clive Woodward if he suddenly decided his proposed Twickenham comeback is a rubbish idea after all.

What a shambles. Civil war may be too strong a description but the RFU is now openly split between the pro-Woodward faction and those determined the recruitment process should be fair and proper. It would be just another bare-knuckle political scrap if it did not have such a direct impact on Martin Johnson's future as England team manager. Woodward, assuming he does come back, will be Johnson's line manager after this autumn's World Cup. Furious rows have erupted, with the position of John Steele, the RFU's chief executive, seriously undermined. The integrity of the union's recruitment process lies in tatters around him.

For those seeking a digested read, this extraordinary farce has unfolded as follows. It is barely four months since Steele announced a revamped structure for the organisation, which split the elite rugby department into three areas – performance, operations and development. By common consent a heavy hitter was needed for the performance role, the aim being to re-establish English rugby as world-beaters in 2015. The chosen candidate would not choose the national team but would have access all areas in terms of bringing through the next generation of talent. Even with the ink barely dry on the application form, it was clear senior members of the union saw Woodward as the ideal candidate.

That was certainly the sense of the other widely respected figures – Nick Mallett, Eddie Jones – who might otherwise have been interested. It did not seem to matter that Woodward and Rob Andrew, still employed at the RFU, had been adversaries in the past. Even when England's results started to improve and they clinched a first Six Nations title since 2003, the jungle drums heralding Woodward's return continued to be deafening.

Then, out of the blue, the RFU announced this week the job description had changed. The chosen candidate would have nothing to do with the senior team, deprived of any involvement beyond Saxons level. It is like hiring Jamie Oliver to cook dinner only to tell him Delia Smith will be preparing the main course. Not surprisingly Sir Clive's cornflakes pebble‑dashed most of his kitchen.

The reaction within parts of the RFU was even stronger. Steele, even so, saw the U-turn as necessary, perhaps after a polite word from Johnson about lines of demarcation. At least one of Johnson's close friends urged the former England captain last month to clarify precisely where his role would end and Woodward's would begin. Maybe Steele was fearful of a potential turf war at a time when English rugby was finally gathering some momentum. If so he underestimated the pro‑Woodward forces within Twickenham, led by the chairman of the management board, Martyn Thomas.

The upshot is that Steele has been savaged by many of the same people who loudly sung his praises when he started work in September. Assuming Woodward does come back, he – and the rest of the world – now knows Steele has reservations about him. Johnson, it seems, will have Woodward at his elbow whether he likes it or not. The other supposed candidates on the shortlist? They must feel horribly used.

So there we have it. Fear and loathing has returned to Twickenham. Steele, a former military man, finds himself doing a passable impression of the Grand Old Duke of York.

It is a deeply uncomfortable situation for someone seeking clarity and stability. Maybe it will all be fine: Sir Clive will ride to the rescue and inspire another World Cup triumph. For the time being, though, English rugby has returned to amateur-ville. The ruthless schemers operating within the RFU do the sport's image no favours.

Sign up for the Guardian Today

Our editors' picks for the day's top news and commentary delivered to your inbox each morning.